


It took a Woman

by Donna_Nobles_Knickers



Category: Mad Men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-25
Updated: 2017-07-25
Packaged: 2018-12-06 20:42:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,684
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11608554
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Donna_Nobles_Knickers/pseuds/Donna_Nobles_Knickers
Summary: Featured PlayersDon DraperPeggy OlsonJoan Holloway HarrisRoger SterlingBertram "Bert" Cooper





	It took a Woman

After the loss of both Lane Pryce and Lucky Strike, a pall was cast over the offices of Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce. Bert Cooper finally got a meeting with Great Northern Railway; who wanted to expand their passenger services. The meeting was scheduled for two months later. The boys, literally just the boys, spent 6 weeks, 15 to 20 hours a day going over idea after idea. Once they had their 3 main ideas down, they spent the same amount of time, daily memorizing the 3 campaigns. Like a play, they rehearsed every word and physical movement until they felt it moved like a well lubed train engine.  
In the meantime, Joan commented to Peggy that the ideas didn’t speak to her and Peggy replied with the same state of mind. Joan and Peggy began their own idea of what Great Northern needed. Unlike the men, the ladies researched the needs and desires of the US Population. The cost of land travel by personal car or rented car versus air travel versus bus versus by rail.   
The men’s three ideas were simply window dressings to entice; a checkout whim, so to speak. The ladies appealed to the pocket book and the problems inherent with emergency travel, and traveling with the family. They had valid information on timeframe of travel versus comfort versus price. Joan would be in the meeting and if, as she suspected, the GNR shot down all of the men’s ideas, she’d step up and bring in Peg. They didn’t script their presentation mainly because of how Peggy kept evolving her emotions on trains. Joan felt a spur of the moment; tug on the emotions, straight from the heart presentation would be the best. Peg wrote some of her thoughts down but had written and typed up all of her facts. These facts she memorized.  
Roger ordered Joan to give the conference room the right touch, to impress. The girls had some great information on the men SCDP would be meeting with. They ordered a variety of homey hors d’oeuvres, submarine sandwiches and tubs of ice containing foreign beers, coca cola and carafes of water.  
When Roger escorted the men from GNR in and saw the spread; he turned said, “I’m sorry, I told Joan to set up an impressive array for us.” “Roger, you got yourself one top notch gal if this is what she’s provided us with. “ Bert had just arrived with Don. After blanching himself at the food and drinks; he then calmed down once he saw several GNR grab cokes and select the finger foods. Don poured himself a glass of water and Roger grabbed a bottle of beer once the GNR Vice President of Marketing did the same. Joan arrived with a tray of homemade brownies and set them on the credenza behind the conference table. She then sat nearby and laid out her notebook and pencils. She planned on short handing the entire meeting.   
As she expected, there were frowns or mute faces on the GNR team during all 3 presentations. But they were facing a group of happy SCDP faces. They sadly stated the campaigns weren’t what they wanted. Joan passed a folded note to Don that read: “I’ve had Peggy work up an awesome campaign. Introduce her as Margaret; I’ll go get her.” Don read the note and passed it to Cooper, who read and passed it to Sterling who read it. From Roger, “We’ve got one more campaign that we’ve kept under wraps. It is from one of our most experienced copy writers and our own AdLady. Gentlemen, may I present our Employee of the Month, Margaret Olson.” Peg walked in followed by Joan. The GNR President offer Margaret an iced cold coke after opening the bottle from the opener screwed into the side of one of the tubs.   
Taking a couple of sips, Peg looked out the window at a drizzly day. She started with a sigh and then “This is the kind of day I love and associate with trains the most. It seems to be perfect for a lonesome whistle, a mist across the plains. Even the screech of metal wheels on track, pulling into a lone station. Riding by train has a romance to it. Not sex, but nostalgia. For an earlier time in the history of our country.” Peg turned back to the windows…”I see a lone black 1865 train slowing passing towns and cities from Washington DC to the pacific NW , down the coast and returning back to DC across the West and South. People lined up in Black, women and children crying, men of all ages wiping their eyes. A group of Indians and military sitting quietly on their horses watching the train pass. A lone Indian dismounts and stands at attention. A group of Negros kneeling and bowing as the train passes by. It’s hung with a few sashes of red, white and blue fabric, the train carrying Abraham Lincoln to his final resting place. End the commercial with ‘Great Northern Railway always there for you’. Use a few still photos of the commercial in sepia tones for magazine ads with the same statement. Simply get the word out that Great Northern Railroad is in business.”  
“Do that for about a month, perhaps two. GNR needs to rethink what they value most. Revenue or Passengers. New ideas must be approached. If not Burlington is going to buy you out awfully soon. The use of trains is on its way out at this point. By 1970, GNR or BN will be mostly freight service. Later someone will create a commuter service across the US but by then the GNR will be long gone. If you want to hang on to GNR, then rethink passenger travel. It must be more inconvenient than car or bus. Easier on the wallet than by vehicle or by air. More comfortable than carrying the kids cross country in a car that barely fits 4 or 5. Right now a family vacation needs a lot of planning, where to stop each night and do you try camping out or motel. Reservations are needed or do you chance it. Who drives, how often do you stop? Packing the car and unpacking every night can be pain if traveling to a wedding or visit Disneyland and you’re leaving from Long Island.”  
Peggy paused to take a few sips of her Coke and grabbed few deep fried mini egg rolls. This gave the gentlemen at the table the approval to help themselves to more nibbles and sandwiches. Cooper offered half his sandwich to Peggy; she thanked him but implied no thank you. Joan handed her a glass of ice and Peggy poured the rest of her coke into that. “GNR needs to be able to offer affordable tickets to the college student who needs to travel from Stanford to Ohio for his grandfather’s funeral. The salesman getting to the home office from Detroit Michigan to Dallas Texas, he’s employee of the year and hadn’t intended to attend the annual conference until he heard the news. The Red Hat ladies from Springfield Illinois are meeting in Miami to board a cruise for the Bahamas. Offer a low price as the ladies are traveling as a group and are more likely to spend a little more on food and drink on the train to compensate for the discounted tickets. GNR can cart them faster than bus or by car and much more comfortably. The salesmen can compose his acceptance speech with the few hours he’ll be on board an express train. The student can work on his studies, or seek a private place to remember Gramps and their infamous fishing trips. Each of the situations tugs on an emotion; sadness, elation and enthusiasm. All these are difficult to process or contain in a cramped bus or in a car. Not impossible but by train they can be handled more comfortably. An airline ticket will ensure you get there faster if more expensive than by car or bus; but what if you’re on board with even one baby, a fussy one. Mom puts earplugs in and ignores her baby. Oh, she’ll pay attention to feed and change but she’s brought along plugs to drown her own child out. Then upon arrival, it could take you an hour to receive your luggage.”  
“Also the airlines haven’t finessed pricing yet. Yes, they offer economy and first class; but you get what you pay for. Whereas on a train, you can travel from your car, to the dinner car, the club car and the observation car all for the same price. You can give them vouchers for so many drinks and a standard, healthy hearty meal or they can pay extra for something more elegant.” A few raised eyebrows were observed by Joan but they had a slight smile to go with it. Joan simply nodded and that was caught by Don, Bert and Roger, who then turn their time observing their guests. Don’s mouth suddenly dropped open as he realized Peggy had hit the nail on the head. The one thing his teams had forgotten to do, Research.  
Don, “Margaret, what is the follow up commercial, please?” “It is actually a series of commercials telling a story running about 2-3 week each. The first shows a Mom, calling the bus station, car rental, airline and GNR asking questions about pricing and accommodations and travel time. She talks to her husband about the problems with Bus, car and air travel and how more convenient it is with GNR and less expensive. She mentions how difficult it is traveling with 3 small children.”  
“The second commercial is everyone boarding from Boston and arriving in Chicago. The room next door to theirs appears to have just been occupied by an older couple. The kids we’ve seen with mom and dad, burst in and start talking to Grandma and Grandpa. Everyone gathers for dinner for the early seating because of the kids and the daughter will have the second bunk with grandma and grandpa. It shows Dad thanking his folks for taking her in as he easily hands over his daughter’s suitcase to them. His daughter kissing mom goodnight and skips in to Grandma and kisses Dad goodnight too. Final scene is everyone sleeping soundly with the right doll or teddy with mom and dad sharing a late night bottle of beer or glass of wine.”  
“A short commercial shows several stops along the way; clean, well behaved kids skipping alongside the adults, seating in the observation car playing cards, scrabble or monopoly. Everyone getting along, Grandma knitting, mom reading, the men in the club car playing penny poker with other passengers. Basically showing how easy traveling by rail is. Specifically showing what perks is available by using GNR.”  
“The final commercial in this series has the family arriving in Manteca California; where the dad’s sister is and where the wedding will be. Their luggage was always with them in their cars so transporting them off the train takes little time and the whole brood drives off in two cars. The important thing to show here is not how good the kids are, though we do want to highlight that, but how calm and relaxed the adults all are. It makes meeting the new in laws easier and everyone handles a last minute emergency with the flowers or the cake. Then show the return trip going further south to Anaheim and a full day’s stop at Disneyland. There are still no issues between the adults and no angry words towards the kids. The next to last stop in Chicago, saying goodbye at the station to Grandma and Grandpa. Then arriving home. Mom sorting laundry and dad helping to clean up a takeout pizza in the kitchen. The kids tucked in and Mom giggling as Dad pulls her towards their room.”  
“Your cost of this travel needs to be well planned. Not everyone will eat dinner at an early setting with the kids. A couple of times Mom and Dad will order a more elegant dinner for either the 2 of them or with his parents and they’ll take a last sitting. A bottle or carafe of wine to go with the meal and their final bill is more close to what you might currently be charging them. Give your passengers a few free perks like free glass of wine or whiskey and once their freebies are used, they’ll spend the little extra themselves a couple of more times.”  
“Create a 1 800 line, for customer comments. Include a prepaid comment card with their disembarkation paperwork. Don’t gouge price wise on anything, be generous and earn the business.  
Once you have enough favorable comments come back, use these in your print ads and brochures. You should also set up an office to mail out brochures on traveling with GNR. Perhaps even invests further in a Travel Agency business. And be willing to book clients with other services; especially if it goes to an area GNR doesn’t offer service to.”   
“Margaret, Joan, gentlemen; this is what we’ve been looking for. Not just from your team but other agencies. No one’s offered us a new way of thinking about the business of bringing in new customers. We just get fast fixes on current services. We’ve been looking for something new to offer and these ideas of lowering rate, perks and travel agency is…well…blowing my mind. And Margaret, my wife feels the same about train travel.”  
Ten days later, SCDP signed on Great Northern Railways. American Airways tried to get out of their contract but couldn’t do so as GNR wasn’t a different airline. The no competition clause only referred to other air ways. And when acceptable to GNR, their travel agency booked exclusively through American for their customer flights. American even benefitted from GNR Travel’s comment line. AA invested in GNRT and the agency was rename Northern America Travel. And has its own advertising contract with Sterling Cooper & Partners.  
Harry Crane is able to expand his department by adding one additional staff person so he and the new hire can spread their time with one at the office and the other at the studios during commercial filming.   
To celebrate, Bert takes Margaret out to Sardi's. When he walks her to her door, he plants a simple kiss on her cheek, “Margaret no one could be more proud of you than I. Keep up the good work and you could make Partner.”  
Peggy’s next adventure on the track to Partner came in the form of correspondence “accidently” sent to the wrong division of Coca Cola. The letters were “supposed to be sent to the Fresca division of Coca Cola and somehow the name of the envelopes were to Coca Cola’s George Waldo Woodruff. Margaret was writing to an actual person in the Fresca group. Someone she actually met during a weekend on the town in New York. She kept the majority of the letters on a personal note. Giving a few details of life in NYC for a female ad copyists. She never lied about what was going on in her life. Woodruff had copies made and sent to the correct person in Fresca. He kept the originals as he found them not only fascinating reading but he wanted to keep track of Margaret’s advancement with SC and its later reincarnations.  
Eventually the time came for Coca Cola to seek to renew its advertising contract. George Waldo Woodruff made sure a meeting was set up with Sterling, Cooper & Partners in addition to a variety of other ad agencies. As with GNR, the team had 2 months to prepare for their presentations. Don had Joan and Peggy do the research and chose 4 people to head teams to come up with 4 different campaigns. No one knew Peggy and Joan made up the fourth team. Don trusted these two to set up the conference room, and their own campaign. Roger trusted Don and Bert trusted Peggy.


End file.
